Talks - Human Conduct Within the Home

Human Conduct Within the Home

Human Conduct Within the Home

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
, 1998-12-08

Human conduct within the home, the extended family is today's topic. How do we work out our karma and work out our faults? Gurudeva says it is through relating with others. Running away from others only makes the karmas worse for the next incarnation. Get your happiness by making others happy within the home. Weavers Wisdom - the Tirukural is further described as Gurudeva chooses examples to read and discuss plus he tells us to practice puja, prayer, purpose, plan, persistence and push.

Unedited Transcript:

Today at Kauai Aadheenam. December 8.

We received wonderful, giant posters of Lord Muruga, Hawaiin God Ku and Lord Ganesha, Hawaiin God Lo Lo from Surya Kumar in San Francisco. Thank you, Surya. We really appreciate the beautiful, 6 feet long and 4 feet high posters of Iraivan Temple, with all the beautiful foliage, lakes and ponds. This beautiful temple we are building here, on the Garden Island of Kauai.

Markandeya Sendan, a young man, 18 years of age is from one of our families, who have been members of my Saiva Siddhanta Church for over 30 years. He was born in the Church, he came for 6 months of religious training, learnt a lot, learnt to chant in Sanskrit most beautifully. Now, after he is home, a month and two, he will do a Path-Choosing ceremony. This means he will decide whether he will become a married man or whether he will be going to further training to become a sannyasin, a minister of the Saivite religion. We don't know what he is going to do, because we have never talked to him about this. It is his decision and his own soul will tell him what to do.

We are working on this beautiful, beautiful book, written 2100 years ago. I think the copyrights have expired! It is called the 'Thirukural' but its new name is 'Weaver's Wisdom'. This weaver lives out his whole life, much like the Prophet did, in Gibran's book. At the end of his life, he told of his observations in very, terse verses, called kurals.

Kural 191 tells us that he observed many people, especially this one.

Everyone is disgusted by a man who offends one and all with meaningless chatter.

Know anyone like that? I think he hit the proverbial nail right on the head!

Kural 199 : The wise, faultless and free from ignorance never utter pointless words, even forgetfully.

Kural 200 : In your speaking, say only that which is purposeful. Never utter words that lack purpose.

What a wise weaver! And the weaver in his wisdom observed:

Those who are industrious will get what they want and need, and keep what they want and have.

Kural 591 : Possessing belongs only to the industrious. Do those who lack such energy really possess their possessions?

Kural 597 : Elephants stand strong even when wounded by a barrage of arrows. Strong willed men are not discouraged, when they encounter disaster.

That's a goal for each and every one of us. Be strong. Today's lesson is on "Human Conduct Within the Home"

Because one could not stand strong and withstand abuse - verbal, mental and physical, the great extended family of 30, 40 or 50 people living under one roof, is diminishing day-by-day, until we get to 4 or 5 people living under one roof. Then, they go out and get roots for themselves. They can't stand one another. As I have always said, a nuclear family is just waiting to explode.

How do we work out our karma on this planet? How do we overcome our faults? Through relating and interrelating with others. Giving in when it is necessary, being strong when it is necessary. My motto has always been - give in on the little things, and hold strong on the big principles of dharma, which is right thought, right action, and right speech. Running away from others only makes the karmas worse for the next incarnation. When the soul again takes a new, fleshly body and is born to a mother, it has to grow and has to go through all that, all over again, simply because the lessons were not learnt in the previous life. That is the way we look at it. That is the way it has been looked at for thousands of years and listening to the wise, that's the way it is.

Therefore, if you are living with someone that you cannot get along with, don't run away. Stick it out. Get your happiness not outside the home. Get your happiness by making others happy within the home, put smiles on everybody's faces. Be "Mr. or Mrs. or Ms. Nice-guy!" Don't be crude. Don't be rude. Be kindly. Be nice. The world will reward you.

In Kural 598, the wise weaver explains:

Without a zealous spirit one will never enjoy the proud exhilaration of earthly generosity.

He speaks on perseverance in Kural 611:

Never say in weakness, "This task is too difficult". Perseverance will confer the ability to accomplish it.

This brings us to the six p's - puja and a prayer, purpose and plan, persistence and push.

Therefore, we can never say in our weakness, "This task is too difficult." Perseverance will confer the ability to accomplish. This is a wonderful book and we have been working on it for 15 years, putting it into American English. You'll love it.

So another day in cyberspace, we are looking at each other. You at me on your computer screen and, myself at you through cyberspace. Happy that you visited our cyberspace ashram today on the beautiful Island of Kauai. Maybe, you will make it here someday soon. Do make it soon. Persevere.

Related Media:

In Category:

Remember, when the seal is broken and clear white light has flooded the mind, there is no more a gap between the inner and the outer. Even uncomplimentary states of consciousness can be dissolved through meditation and seeking again the light.